1980s Christian Dior Gold-Plated Leaf Brooch
About the Item
- Creator:
- Metal:Gold Plate
- Place of Origin:France
- Period:1980-1989
- Date of Manufacture:1980
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:London, GB
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU2038219251462
Christian Dior
When Christian Dior launched his couture house, in 1946, he wanted nothing less than to make “an elegant woman more beautiful and a beautiful woman more elegant.” He succeeded, and in doing so the visionary designer altered the landscape of 20th century fashion. Vintage Dior bags, shoes, evening dresses, shirts and other garments and accessories are known today for their feminine and sophisticated sensibility.
Dior was born in Granville, on the Normandy coast, in 1905. His prosperous haute bourgeois parents wanted him to become a diplomat despite his interest in art and architecture. However, they agreed to bankroll an art gallery, which Dior opened in 1928 in Paris with a friend.
This was the start of Dior’s rise in the city’s creative milieu, where he befriended Pablo Picasso and Jean Cocteau. After seven years as an art dealer, Dior retrained as a fashion illustrator, eventually landing a job as a fashion designer for Robert Piguet, and in 1941, following a year of military service, he joined the house of Lucien Lelong. Just five years later, with the backing of industrialist Marcel Boussac, the ascendant Dior established his own fashion house, at 30 avenue Montaigne in Paris.
Just two years after the end of World War II, the fashion crowd and the moribund haute couture industry were yearning, comme tout Paris, for security and prosperity, desperate to discard the drab, sexless, utilitarian garb imposed by wartime deprivation. They needed to dream anew.
And Dior delivered: He designed a collection for a bright, optimistic future. “It’s quite a revolution, dear Christian!” exclaimed Carmel Snow, the prescient American editor-in-chief of Harper’s Bazaar, famously proclaiming, “Your dresses have such a new look.” The press ran with the description, christening Dior’s debut Spring/Summer haute couture collection the New Look. “God help those who bought before they saw Dior,” said Snow. “This changes everything.”
Dior’s collection definitively declared that opulence, luxury and femininity were in. His skirts could have 40-meter-circumference hems, and outfits could weigh up to 60 pounds. They were cut and shaped like architecture, on strong foundations that molded women and “freed them from nature,” Dior said. Rather than rationing, his ladies wanted reams of fabric and 19-inch waists enforced by wire corsets, and the fashion world concurred. The debut got a standing ovation.
In the subsequent decade, Paris ruled as the undisputed fashion capital of the world, and Christian Dior reigned as its king. With the luxuriously full skirts of his New Look, suits and his drop-dead gorgeous couture dresses and ball gowns worthy of any princess, Dior gave women the gift of glamour they’d lost in the miserable years of war.
On 1stDibs, find an exquisite range of vintage Christian Dior clothing, jewelry, handbags and other items.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: London, United Kingdom
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 1 day of delivery.
- 1980s Christian Dior Enameled Butterfly Clip BroochBy Christian DiorLocated in London, GBThis 1980s Christian Dior Enameled Butterfly Silver Money Clip that van be worn also as a brooch, a sophisticated, tasteful accessory that exude...Category
Vintage 1980s French Brooches
MaterialsEnamel
- 1980s Christian Dior Crystals and Pearl Leaf BroochBy Christian DiorLocated in London, GBThis vintage 1980s Christian Dior brooch delivers timeless elegance. Crafted from silver-plated steel, it features a leaf shape accented w...Category
Vintage 1980s German Brooches
MaterialsCrystal, Pearl
- 1980s Christian Dior Gold Plated Enamel Leaf Crystal BroochBy Christian DiorLocated in London, GBThis 1980s Christian Dior Enamel Leaf Brooch, yellow gold-plated brooch is an exquisite piece featuring a sophisticated, stylish large leaf design, adorned with crystals, a signature "Chr Dior...Category
Vintage 1980s Italian Brooches
MaterialsCrystal, Gold Plate, Enamel
- 1980s Burberrys Terrier Dog Gold Plated BroochBy BurberryLocated in London, GBBurberrys Gold plated brooch featuring a terrier dog with crystal details. Condition: 1980s, vintage, very good, minimal wear Dimensions: 4x4cmCategory
Vintage 1980s British Brooches
MaterialsCrystal, Gold Plate
- 1980s Burberry Sailing Ship Pave Crystal Gold Plated Brooch PinBy BurberryLocated in London, GB1980's Burberry Vintage Sailing Ship Brooch Pin Pave Crystal Gold Plated, This pin is comprised of a textured, brushed gold and polished hull with a fully-...Category
Vintage 1980s Italian Brooches
- 1980s Christian Dior Scarf Rhodium Plated Art Nouveau Design RingBy Christian DiorLocated in London, GBChristian Dior scarf, rhodium plated ring, Art Nouveau design Dimensions: 2.8 x 1.9 x 1.9 cm, inner ca. 2 x 1.3 cm Condition: 1980s, vintage, e...Category
Vintage 1980s German Art Nouveau Brooches
MaterialsRhodium
- Ladybug-Shaped Pendant and Brooch with Enamel of Various ColorsLocated in Rome, ITThe pendant in the shape of a ladybug with open wings, can be worn both as a pendant and as a brooch. The ladybug is decorated with transparent enamels of various colors. Its manufa...Category
Antique 19th Century Retro Pendant Necklaces
MaterialsEnamel
- Otto Strandman Art Nouveau 1914 Bacchus Silver Brooch, Stockholm SwedenLocated in Skanninge, SEBacchus the wine god by Otto Strandman (1871-1960), Stockholm 1914. Wonderful Swedish Art Nouveau silver brooch. Great condition, no issues. With full s...Category
Vintage 1910s Swedish Art Nouveau Brooches
MaterialsSilver
- Atelier Borgila Stockholm 1944, Modernist Brooch in Gilt Sterling SilverBy Atelier BorgilaLocated in Skanninge, SEVery nice modernist brooch depicting a bird in flight. Gilded sterling silver with maker marks. Fine vintage condition, only some minor scratches. Atelier Borgila was founded by de...Category
Mid-20th Century Swedish Modernist Brooches
MaterialsSterling Silver
- Matti J Hyvarinen a Set of Necklace, Earrings and a Brooch, Sterling, FinlandBy Matti J. HyvärinenLocated in Skanninge, SEA set of necklace, a pair of earrings, and a Brooch in sterling silver by Matti J Hyvarinen Finland. All parts marked "MJH 925". Made in the 1970s. V...Category
Vintage 1970s Finnish Modernist Brooches
MaterialsSterling Silver
- Victorian Burma Sapphire 4.60ct Certificated Untreated, Pearl, Ruby Bee/Insect/BLocated in London, GBAn exceptional, exquisite and well preserved Victorian brooch in the form of a bee with ruby eyes, sapphire and diamond wings, natural pearl and cabochon natural untreated Burma Sapp...Category
Antique 1850s British Victorian Brooches
MaterialsDiamond, White Diamond, Natural Pearl, Ruby, Blue Sapphire, Pearl, Sapph...
- Victorian King Charles Spaniel Dog Micromosaic Brooch, circa 1870Located in London, GBFine quality micromosaic, depicting a King Charles Spaniel dog on his cushion, set as a brooch in 18ct gold. Dogs were a symbol of faithful love. The King Charles Spaniel breed was extremely popular amongst the English aristocracy, especially during the Victorian period, when Queen Victoria herself doted upon her spaniel, Dash. Although the Greeks and Romans had used mosaics for many centuries, it was the Italians who developed the art of micromosaics in the Vatican at the end of the 18th century. The Napoleonic expedition to Egypt in 1798 led to a great revival of classical interest and was reflected in the subject matter of the micromosaics, many images came from Roman murals...Category
Antique Late 19th Century Italian Victorian Brooches
Materials18k Gold
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
Too Soon for the Return of ’90s Fashion? As If
There's a renewed appreciation for the era's aesthetic, perhaps most notably among millennials seeking authentic, easy style.
14 Iconic Luxury Handbags and the Stories behind Them
When the name of a bag is as well-known as its brand, you know it's a classic.